Wednesday, February 27, 2008

I never said I was Grizzly Adams

Ok, so a wildlife expert I am not. I think it's kind of a good thing because it means that I can get breathlessly excited about spying a turtle in the pond at the park or spotting a rabbit in a field. I was on the phone just now and something caught my eye out the window...

"Oh my god. Oh. My. God!" I squealed to my coworker.

"There's, umm, there's a, a, a hawk in my yard. Or an eagle, well not an eagle, but really maybe a hawk."

She was unimpressed but characteristically delighted by my propensity for being excited by what some might consider the mundane.

"I am so taking a picture of that...winged creature. It's in my backyard!"

So, I'll now share the photo with you. If it's an a common parking lot speckled pigeon please keep it to yourself. I'm treasuring this as if I'd happened upon a unicorn.



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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Red-Tailed Hawk maybe?

Unknown said...

I just wanted to say that I am one of the "lurkers" that enjoys your blog. I also get excited by seeing wildlife. Fortunately I live in the country so I see lots. My 15 year old daughter rolls her eyes at me when I slow the car to gaze on deer or turkey in the field. I have seen several hawks but have never had the opportunity to photograph them. Your pictures are great!

Life As I Know It said...

I have no idea what kind of bird it is. Once I called my husband (who can identify most birds) to describe this AMAZING bird I had just seen in the backyard. After I described it to him he informed me it was a woodpecker. A ordinary, common woodpecker. Oh well.

Anonymous said...

Nice pic. ITs a nice little hawk looking for a little birdy meal. I live in town and occasionally get one on my deck looking for a meal.

Angela said...

I also get excited about seeing wildlife.That's so great you got a photo. Sorry, I can't be more helpful, but I'm clueless about identifying birds, hope you find out what it is.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Congrats! Looks like it is waiting for some little birds to show up at your feeders.

Anonymous said...

Definitely a hawk. They change to more muted colors in the winter to match the snow, though, so I'm not sure which kind. Sounds like Marlene knows though!

Either way, fantastic pic.

Amy Y said...

He's beautiful! Well done, you!
And I love the winter wonderland in your back yard...

Anonymous said...

I had one of those almost try to carry away the dog one day! ;-) We've seen coyote and deer here, too. Aren't animals wonderful?

amanda said...

love it! and i totally have a thing for hawks - i swear i see them all the time. it's like they follow me!!

Heather said...

Yep, looks like a hawk. He's sitting there all pretty for you to take a photo though. That's nice of him. We live out of the city so wildlife is pretty normal for us. Although I still point out the turkeys and the deer to my kids...every time. I'm sure they're probably rolling their eyes at me. Good thing they're in the back seat.

flutter said...

ok, so here's the thing. I read that last line entirely too fast and thought you wrote " Humped a unicorn"

which turned this post into something completely different, just sayin'

Anonymous said...

That would be a hawk. I will never forget the time when I was in college and there was one in my parent's backyard. Not only did they call specifically to tell me about the bird two states away, but they also sent me pictures. Wildlife is cool, isn't it?

Occidental Girl said...

That's definitely a hawk. Beautiful! And, kinda freaky when it's close-up like that!

Danielle said...

Cooper's Hawk. Lucky you. I love seeing stuff like this, but then, I'm biased. I worked at the Bronx Zoo for 5 years. But that passion you feel for something like this, even if you don't know exactly what it is you're looking at, is infectious. And I'm sure your girls will wonder at nature, as I suspect they do already, as much as you do! Yeah for wildlife!!!

Danielle said...

Ok. Actually it looks more like a juvenile Northern Goshawk. Uneven tail bars and a faint white streak above the eye. Very cool!

Anonymous said...

That is one beautiful bird!

BetteJo said...

Definitely a hawk. How cool to have one just land in your yard.

And OMG look at the snow!

Anonymous said...

"I am so taking a picture of that...winged creature. It's in my backyard!"

LOL. Awesome. That's the quote of the day...I thought it was an owl when I first saw it and definitely got that unicorn-sighting feeling too!

<3